Apparatus for storing contamination-sensitive flat articles, in particular for storing semiconductor wafers

Abstract

An apparatus for storing contamination-sensitive flat articles, in particular for storing semiconductor wafers, comprises a plurality of box-like compartments stationary arranged on a fixed mounting rack. The compartments are open on a front side and are arranged in rows and columns side by side and one above the other on the fixed mounting rack. The compartments each have a plurality of slotted holders for receiving the flat articles, and they surround a first handling unit configured for automatically inserting and removing the flat articles into and out of the slotted holders. A closed housing forms a clean room where both the plurality of compartments and the first handling unit are arranged.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for storing contamination-sensitive flat articles, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of box-like compartments each having an open front side and enclosed side, top and bottom sides, the compartments being stationary arranged in rows and columns side by side and one above the other on a fixed mounting rack, and the compartments each having a plurality of slotted stationary holders for receiving a plurality of flat articles so that the articles are stationary arranged within the compartments, 
 a first handling unit for automatically inserting and removing a flat article into and out of the slotted holders, and 
 a closed housing forming a clean room where both the compartments and the first handling unit are arranged, 
 wherein the articles arranged within any one compartment are separated by said enclosed sides from the articles arranged within adjacent compartments so that a contaminated article in an adjacent compartment arranged above, below, or alongside said one compartment will not contaminate the articles in said one compartment, and further 
 wherein the plurality of compartments surround the first handling unit on at least two sides and are arranged in the mounting rack so that the open front side of each compartment is accessible to the first handling unit enabling the first handling unit to selectively insert a flat article into or remove a flat article from any one of said plurality of slotted holders in any one of said plurality of compartments without removing the compartments from the mounting rack. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slotted holders are configured to hold the flat articles in a horizontal orientation in the compartments. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slotted holders are configured to hold the flat articles in a vertical orientation in the compartments. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of compartments surround the first handling unit in a substantially circular shape. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of compartments define a center point of a circle, with the first handling unit being arranged in the vicinity of the center point. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the slotted holders are configured to hold the flat articles in alignment with the center point. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the handling unit comprises a carriage and an articulated arm arranged on the carriage, with the articulated arm being configured to move on a substantially horizontal plane only, and with the carriage configured to move in a vertical direction. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the handling unit is a 6-axis robot. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a second handling unit configured to transfer a flat article into the closed housing or out of the closed housing. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first handling unit comprises a first gripping arm having at least two first gripping elements for holding a flat article, the first gripping arm being configured to rotate between a horizontal and a vertical holding position. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the first gripping arm comprises a first and a second leg each having a free end, with the at least two first gripping elements being arranged on the free ends, and wherein the first and second legs cover a circular arc with an angle range of more than 180°. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the first handling unit comprises a second gripping arm supporting at least two second gripping elements, with the second gripping elements defining a plane, and with the second gripping arm being arranged outside from the plane. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the first handling unit comprises a substantially L-shaped mounting bracket having a first and a second end, with the first gripping arm being arranged on the first end and the second gripping arm being arranged on the second end. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the closed housing has at least one door configured to allow direct access to the compartments. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each compartment has side walls, a bottom wall and a rear wall, which are arranged substantially transverse with respect to one another. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the bottom wall and the rear wall are arranged with an opening remaining in the area between the rear wall and the bottom wall. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each compartment comprises a connection for supplying a stream of cleaning gas. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each compartment comprises a locking element for securing the articles in the holders against falling out. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slotted holders are in the form of elongated comb-like strips capable of being moved in a longitudinal direction. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the compartments including the slotted holders are configured for holding semiconductor wafers. 
     
     
       21. An apparatus for storing contamination-sensitive flat articles, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of box-like compartments each having an open front side and enclosed side, top and bottom sides, the compartments being stationary arranged in rows and columns side by side and one above the other on a fixed mounting rack, and the compartments each having a plurality of slotted stationary holders for receiving a plurality of flat articles so that the articles are stationary arranged within the compartments, 
 a first handling unit for automatically inserting and removing a flat article into and out of the slotted holders, and 
 a closed housing forming a clean room where both the compartments and the first handling unit are arranged, 
 wherein the articles arranged within any one compartment are separated by said enclosed sides from the articles arranged within adjacent compartments so that a contaminated article in an adjacent compartment arranged above, below, or alongside said one compartment will not contaminate the articles in said one compartment, and further 
 wherein the first handling unit is arranged in a central handling area of the housing, and further 
 wherein the plurality of compartments surround the first handling unit on at least two sides and are arranged in the mounting rack so that the open front side of each compartment faces toward the central handling area of the housing.